Patrick Chung: No better way to prepare for the regular season than by facing Tom Brady

FOXBORO — Patrick Chung knows that you’re a defense that’s trying to prepare for the regular season, you could do a lot worse than face Tom Brady and the Patriots on a daily basis.

‘Going against him will definitely make you better. Hands down. You guys know it. Everybody knows it. We just have to keep stringing [good practices] along,’ Chung said after Thursday’s practice, one where the defense appeared to get the better of the offense on several occasions. ‘Just keep stringing them along and keep getting better. [Brady is] going to make us better. Our offense will make us better.’

Chung and the rest of the New England defense had a good day on Thursday, disrupting Brady’s rhythm on several occasions and even forcing a pick when safety Steve Gregory came away with an errant Brady pass. It’s all part of an effort to develop the consistency and continuity that is often found in the most successful secondaries.

‘Consistency is No. 1,’ Chung said. ‘You have to be able to make plays consistently: boom, boom, boom, boom. It can’t just be good play, bad play, good play, bad play. Being consistent is No. 1 on the back end, because if you mess up on the back end, it’s a touchdown. We have to be on the same page and everybody has to know what they’re doing to make it happen.’

While the offense is considered to be among the league’s elite, questions remain about the state of the defense. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound Chung, who is heading into his fourth season with the Patriots, says that when it comes to the defensive backs, they pay their critics no mind.

‘We don’t pay attention to it. We haven’t even played a game yet. We’re just going to play ball, play to the best of our abilities and then we’ll see what happens after that,’ Chung said. ‘[Criticism goes] in one ear and out the other. That’s how we like it back there. People are going to say what they want to say — everybody has their opinions. It’s in one ear and out the other. Get better, play ball and go from there.’

The Patriots added several new faces in the secondary this season, both in the draft (Tavon Wilson, Nate Ebner) and in free agency (Gregory, Will Allen, Marquice Cole).

‘It’s good to have a lot of guys out there, because better competition will only make the group better,’ Chung said. ‘It will only make the group more competitive. It’s going to get us better. I like the bunch of guys we have in that room. A bunch of athletes who can play ball.’